BAA says dealing with the December snow misery has cost it £24 million.

Airport news for Heathrow,Travel on 13/01/2011.

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Airport operator BAA has put the cost of lost business and dealing with the snow misery in December at £24 million. The company made the announcement on Wednesday.

That figure covers revenues lost because of the heavy snowfall, plus added costs. The total figure could still rise further as BAA comes under pressure from a range of airlines to reimburse them for the cost of widespread travel disruption and cancelled flights.

The air travel chaos in December was worst at Heathrow airport. Now, airlines including Virgin Atlantic, BMI and Lufthansa are seeking compensation from BAA.

Colin Matthews, chief executive at BAA, was at pains to highlight to point out how the financial losses demonstrate the damaging effect on BAA. He said it showed how the airport operator clearly has a financial incentive to provide solid service for passengers and has suffered over the travel chaos.

Matthews recently announced that he would give up his bonus this year. He has already launched an inquiry into how BAA handled the weather chaos late in December. That review is due to publish its findings in March.

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